A variety of Internet-based systems for providing access to a patient's health record and related healthcare information have been proposed. Such Internet-based personal or patient medical records either provide patients access only to information that they enter and maintain themselves, or provide them with delayed and limited access to information contained in a separate healthcare information system from which patient health information must be abstracted and uploaded to a web server in regularly scheduled batch processes. A patient is unsure if the information they are viewing is the most up to date and complete. Apart from the ability to view selected portions of information or patient self-generated information, the proposed systems have not provided an effective forum to allow the patient to communicate with their health care providers. None of the proposed systems feature secured, real-time access to an integrated patient health record.
Thus, there is a need for a patient health record access system that provides real-time communication between the patient and an integrated Patient Health Record (PHR) and an Enterprise Health Information System (EHIS). Such a system would provide patients with the most up-to-date information. Moreover, patients could avail themselves of electronic health-related services in real-time. Furthermore, a real-time, integrated PHR/EHIS system could provide efficiency, workflow flexibility and connectivity between patients and their health care providers and affiliated staff that are not available using previously disclosed systems.